Fruit-shipping box



Jan. 15, 1929,

' J. G. ANDERSON FRUIT SHIPPING Box Filed Oct. 22, 1927 INVENTOR cf. 6'; Anders on ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES G. ANDERSON, F LODI, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-SHIPPING BOXQ Application filed October 22, 1927. Serial No. 227,981.

This invention relates to shipping boxes or ,crates in which fruit, especially grapes, are packed for shipment to distant points. The grapes are 110w packed into such boxes I; directly as they are picked in the vineyard,

and consequently a certain amount of shrinkage or wilt develops in the pack by the time the box reaches its destination. Therefore when a box of the ordinary type is opened it does not present a full appearance, and will not look well when placed on display in the retail stores.

In an attempt to overcome this objectionable appearance "or the displayed box, a box such as shown in Patent No. 1,160,681 to Williams has been tried out. In the Williams type of box, the separable top cleats of the box ends have individual side slats at their edges. These slats, however. in no sense support or. brace the separable. top cleats relative to the box ends, and a weak construction is hadin which the separable cleats tend to prematurely break across along the line of separation.

The principal object of my invention therefore is to provide a box for attaining the same end as is had with the patented box above described, but in which the construction is such that the box is much stronger, and it is neater of appearance and more easily put together, without the expense of manufacture being increased to any appreciable extent, if at all, over that of the Williams or similar box.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of an empty box constructed according to my improved design and shown without the lid.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing a loaded box with its lid on, during the operation of removing the lid and the adjacent parts.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the box which is of standard size used for grape shipping boxes, consists of end, side and bottom members. The end members each of said end members.

fore present the general effect of a number consists of a main lower board 1 with a relatively shallow strip 5 superimposed thereon and rigidly secured thereto by nails 3 driven down from the top. The side pieces are each one piece of relatively thin board 4 of a height equal to the total hei ht of the end members- In each side boar is cut a number of parallel slots 5 which extend practically thefull length of the board but terminatea short distance from both ends to leave continuous vertical strips 6 at the i ends of said boards. The boards as usual are cut so that the grain of the wood extends horizontally or lengthwise of the box. The upper slot 5 of each side board is so located relative to the total height of the end memt bers as to lie in the, horizontal plane of the ad acent abutting faces of the pieces 1 and 2 The side boards thereend members than a number of separated slats which must be individually spaced and applied. The side boards are secured to the end members by nails 7 so placed that one nail at each end connects each side board with the corresponding upper end pieces 2, and the other nails connect said side boards with the main end pieces 1, as clearly shown.

It will therefore be seen that the component parts of the end members are not only held together by the vertical nails 3 but by the side boards and their nails as well, so that the side boards brace or strengthen the end members and vice versa; and the ends are prevented from too ready separation and the sides are prevented from any tendency'to split between the ends of the upper slots and the adjacent ends of the sides.

After the lid 8 of the box has been secured to the end members in the customary manner, the fruit has been shipped and it is desired to remove the lid a screw driver 9 or other. prying tool is inserted between the pieces 1 and 2 at one end of the box. This prying up action raises the pieces 2 and draws the nails 3 out. At the same time this separating pressure had by applying the tool causes the side boards to split along the narrow horizontal web formed between the ends of the upper slots and the adjacent ends of the side boards, as indicated at 10 in Fig. 2. This splitting of course takes place very readily when the necessary pressure is applied in the above manner, since the grain of wood runs lengthwise of the sides as phreviously stated, and the boards are quite tin.

As a. result of this operation the lid 8, the upper end strips 2 and the upper portions of the sides above the upper slots 5 are removed as a unit, leaving the box of a uniformly lowered height throughout its extent. 7 The height of the upper end pieces 2 is approximately the distance which an ordinary pack of grapes will shrink or become depressed in the box during the shipment thereof to any considerable distance. When the box has been thus opened the pack of grapes therein will therefore he substantially level with the top of the box.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such devia tions from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described by invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

disposed against the end edges of the end members and extending from top to bottom thereof, connection means between the side boards and the pieces of the end members independently, and 'ealrening means formed in the side boards to cause them to split lengthwise of the box in the horizontal plane of'the abutting faces of the end member pieces when pressure to pry said pieces apart is applied thereto.

2. A shipping box comprising end members each separable along a horizontal line intermediate the top and botiom thereof, and unitary side members connected to the end members and extending above the line of separation of said members; the side members being weakened in the horizontal plane of separation of the end members.

8. A structure as in claim 2 with the connection means between the end and side members being both above and below said line of separation.

4. A shipping box comprising end members each weakened along a horizontal line to permit of separation of said member into two parts, and unitary side members connected to the end members and extending from top to bottom thereof; said side members being weakened in the horizontal plane of weakening of the end members.

5. A structure as in claim l. in which the weakening of-the side members is accomplished by cutting longitudinal slots in said members which terminate short of the ends thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES G. ANDERSON. 

